04 A New Morning
Yesung woke up before the sun was up. This was a first and he was surprised with himself. Usually, he wouldn’t be able to wake himself up without the help of other people-mainly Jaejoong. This was also the first time he woke up feeling refreshed and rejuvenated. He felt the energy coursing through his body and the need to get up was pulling him. Since he was reeling into the feeling of tranquility, he resorted to just sitting up.
The room he was in was completely unfamiliar and a bit dark. The only light source in the room was a small night lamp in the shape of a panda. He shook his head a bit at the image of a big guy ogling over pandas. He reached for the bedside lamp and turned it on. If he would be completely honest with himself, the room was too childish to be his own. The wallpaper was light blue in color with images of opened bird cages and flying birds in white. There was a small table right by the window with a few papers and crayons scattered on top of it. On the left side of the door was a wooden closet-average looking in Yesung’s opinion but he couldn’t really tell. The light wasn’t enough for him to distinguish the details. The walls were littered with drawings of animals and people and trees which were most definitely made by a kid.
And that was when it hit him. He was in that kid’s room. That kid whose name was Jongwoon.
He looked outside the window and saw that the dawn is breaking. He wanted, for the longest time, to see the sunrise right before his eyes. Preferably in a beach where he can sit down and watch the wonder of nature unveiling but he concluded that going outside would be enough.
He got up from his bed, grabbed his sketchpad and wrote down a message for Kyuhyun then left the room. He was trying his best not to run because saying that he was excited would not be enough to explain what he was feeling. Upon reaching the front door, he opened it in haste, closed it properly, and then run off towards an unknown direction.
If his memory was correct, there was a cliff nearby and if he ran fast enough, he’ll be able to watch the sky in a broader perspective. It may not exactly be the sunrise, but it would be enough to satisfy him. If there was one thing he learned from being a singer, it was to appreciate the littlest of things.
He stopped when he saw the exact same place he saw yesterday. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply to capture the moment and imprint it in his memory. As he opened his eyes, he looked up and marveled at the beauty of the vast sky as it changes color. The darkness was changed into a softer shade of blue as orange streaks of sunlight begin to lighten up the sky. Clouds were rolling by as a cool breeze blew past him. He couldn’t imagine a better view than this. For him, seeing it in real life was a truly breathtaking.
He closed his eyes once more as he felt another cool breeze. The view and the feeling were divergent from when he was in Seoul. Everything was fast-paced in that city while in Cheonan, everything was slow. He couldn’t describe it properly. He was at a loss for words but he didn’t seem to mind. Words weren’t the most important thing for him right now anyways.
He sat at the grass and marveled at the sight before him and spent a couple of hours just looking at the sky. The place felt serene and peaceful and everything he was worried about vanished like it never existed in the first place.
“Maybe, just maybe, this is what I needed after all,” Yesung thought.
Thinking that he’s been gone long enough, Yesung stood up, dusted his pants and walked away from the place he now acknowledged as his favorite. As he was walking back, he thought about how his life turned out after the accident. He became a singer after that-famous, loved and admired by a lot of people. He’s been to a lot of countries over the past few years and he became a household name. He also has enough money in his bank account to buy a mansion, if Jaejoong wasn’t doing things with his paycheck behind his back, that is.
On the downside of this so-called popularity however, was the constant abuse he’s been receiving from his manager and the lack of communication from his family. Aside from those two, he’s never had a proper sleep. The only vacation he’s had so far was this and he was thankful for it. He needed it badly even though his manager kept saying otherwise.
“Yesung?”
He halted from walking and his thoughts went askew from being interrupted. He turned to the speaker and was surprised to see the person so early in the morning.
“You’re up so early. Well, not really early since it’s already 8-ish. You know that people on a vacation are usually up by let’s say 9 or ten and here I am blabbing about nonsense,” he scratched his head and cackled at himself. “Anyways, Sora was really worried about you. Where did you stay for the night?”
Yesung wondered how someone could talk so fast without moving their mouth too much. It wasn’t possible and he was sure of that though apparently, Jungsu could. A hidden talent, maybe?
“Oh, I forgot you’re not supposed to talk! Are you off to the place you stayed the night in?” Jungsu inquired and the Singer answered with a nod. “Would you mind if I accompany you? You see, Sora’s really worried about you. She would freak out on me if I tell her that I found you and I still don’t know where you’re staying. Have you eaten breakfast? You look much better than yesterday if I might add and red looks good on you. Anywho, you know my daughter…”
Jungsu continued talking without minding if his companion was listening or not. He kept on talking at an unimaginable speed that even though Yesung tried to actually listen, he couldn’t understand what the other was saying. It was all a blur of words without meaning. He did catch some like “laughing” and “annoyed” but that was it so he stopped trying and focused on trying to recall the way. It didn’t take him long to find the Cho’s residence since there was a blub of black hair waiting for him in front of the house.
“Mister!” Jongwoon happily ran towards him with arms wide open and huge smile on his face. He didn’t even notice that Jungsu has stopped talking and was staring at him as he picked the Kid up on his arms.
“Where have you been, mister? I was worried you left without saying goodbye to me. You wouldn’t do that right?” Jongwoon asked with a pout and a bit teary-eyed which made Yesung smile a little. The latter shook his head then poked the adorable blub in his arms on the nose.
“Yay!” Jongwoon yelled happily after struggling to get down. He took the Singer’s hand and pulled him towards the house. “Come on, Mister. Daddy already made breakfast. Oh! Uncle Jungsu!”
“Hello, Jongwoon!” Jungsu greeted as he lifted the kid on his arms. They proceeded to enter the house with Yesung opening the door wide for the two seeing as they were occupied with the conversation. “I see that you know my friend Yesung here, huh? Did you take care of him?”
“I did! I did, Uncle! I had him sleep in my room too!” Jongwoon announced happily. The revealed statement alarmed the eldest and he shared a panic look with Kyuhyun who appeared in the living room when he heard the front door open.
“Jongwoon-ah…” Jungsu started but was cut off with the kid’s struggling.
“Mister, are you hungry? Come let’s eat! Daddy made eggs today!” Jongwoon pulled the unsuspecting singer by the hand towards the kitchen, leaving the two adults by themselves.
The adults left on the living room looked at each other-one with a smile on his face and the other worried. Kyuhyun tilted his head a bit to the side in confusion. He was wondering why Jungsu was there and why the other looked worried while looking at Jongwoon and Yesung.
“You’re letting a stranger stay here? With your son?” Jungsu asked.
“Why? What’s wrong with that?”
Jungsu sighed before occupying the couch and motioned for Kyuhyun to follow. He turned to Jongwoon’s father and stared into his eyes. He seemed to be contemplating whether or not to speak up but the other male urged him to go on.
“I’m telling you this as the father of your classmate’s son and I’m not trying to pry or anything but do you think that’s the right decision?”
“What’s wrong with that? I mean, so what if he’s a stranger?” Kyuhyun asked back. Jungsu was being rude to him in his house and he doesn’t like it. Yesung was his guest as well as Jongwoon’s friend and he wouldn’t tolerate such behavior and prejudice against the people he chose to protect.
Jungsu sighed then placed his elbows on his knees and left his hands dangling in front of him. “I’m not trying to scare you or anything but you see, yesterday, someone called me. A man named Jaejoong, if I remember correctly, and told me a lot about him. The caller said not to trust him because he’s very manipulative. He can easily trick people by looking vulnerable and when he has the people’s sympathy, he would take advantage of it and suck you dry.”
Kyuhyun stared at the man sitting in front of him, completely flabbergasted. He couldn’t believe what he just heard. How would Jungsu be sure that the person who told him about that is a reliable source when they only talked over the phone?
“I think you need to leave,” Kyuhyun finalized. He was starting to get annoyed and agitated at the man. If the man continued to talk bad things about his guest, he might physically hurt the said man.
“What? You’re asking me to leave?” Jungsu asked, completely shocked. When Kyuhyun kept mum, he laughed humorlessly. “You’ve known me longer than that … guy, yet you choose him? Unbelievable.”
“I’m not choosing anyone but aren’t you jumping to conclusion a little bit too quickly?” Kyuhyun retorted. He was making an effort not to raise his voice and alert the two inside the dining room. However, if the man stayed any longer…
“This is my house and I choose who I welcome here,” he continued while walking towards the door. “If you don’t like my guest, you are free to leave my home.”
Jungsu stood up without a word and headed straight towards the door. With a final glance at Kyuhyun, he left.
Meanwhile, in the dining room, Jongwoon was silently watching the stranger sitting quietly in front of him. Unbeknownst to the two outside, Yesung could hear their conversation. He was set on running away and leaving the house upon hearing what Jungsu, the person who he was supposed to live with, said. He didn’t want to wait for Kyuhyun’s answer because he had a feeling that he would believe what the other man said but he stayed.
He stayed because the moment he stood up, the kid called out to him. When he looked at Jongwoon, he felt his heart swell. The kid was crying and reaching out to him, as if he could feel his pain. His nose was already red and his tears kept on flowing. The emotions Yesung kept bottled up inside him burst out and found himself on the verge of tears as well but he kept it at bay.
He did the one thing he had always dreamed of and the one thing that he knew the kid wanted, he hugged him. He wrapped his arms around the kid and let the kid cry in his arms. Mindlessly, he patted the kid’s back because he continued listening to the conversation outside. He kept doing so until he heard the soft snores coming from him.
The door opened which made Yesung look up. There, standing by the doorway, Kyuhyun stood with a shocked expression. He stared at the man of the house with a blank expression, holding Jongwoon protectively in his arms as the man approached him.
“You heard, didn’t you?” Kyuhyun asked before kneeling down in front of him. Yesung didn’t answer and just continued staring at him.
The other man reached for his cheek and wiped the tear that escaped the Singer’s eye. The latter closed his eyes and leaned to the other’s hand. He loved the feeling of someone comforting him. It has been so long since he felt the reassurance that everything would be alright and that they will be there in case he needed someone.
It has indeed been so long.
And when Kyuhyun reached out to wrap him in a tender embrace, Yesung felt the thick wall he built around himself crumble into pieces. However, due to his stubbornness, he held onto the line that he wouldn’t cry no matter what.
“Let it go, Yesung. I’m here so let it go…” Kyuhyun reassured, tightening his hold on his guest. Yesung buried his face on Kyuhyun’s chest and silently cried. One of his hands snake its way up to Kyuhyun’s bicep and held onto it. Due to his trembling, Jongwoon woke up in his arms and without a word, hugged him as well.